An American Muslim Journal

Halloween, Halal-o-ween or nothing: American Muslims, Trick or Treating and Islam

The fall and winter provide lots of opportunities for American Muslims to fight amongst themselves.  The fights are about whether or not we (American Muslims) can partake of holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day.  Some are getting better at agreeing to disagree, but the debates rage on!

Tomorrow's holiday, Halloween, kicks it all off!

 Our family will participate.  One parent will hang back at home and hand out candy to the kids who come by while the other parent goes out with the kids, other parents and their children to "trick or treat"!

I'm not going to get into the "theology" of it here because the facts don't require it.  Halloween is now an American tradition where people dress up, walk around their neighborhoods and meet, greet and trick or treat.  I've been doing it since around 1974 or 1975 and in all of these years no one ever invoked black magic, satan worship or even another religious impramatur upon the holiday.  It has been and continues to be a secular observance.

Participating in Halloween in no way stops me from teaching and practicing Islam.  We can and do pray together as a family on Halloween just as on every other day.  Our family's belief in One God, Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the final messenger of God, Quran as the final revealed word of God, the five pillars of Islam (faith, fasting, alms-giving, daily prayer, hajj), all the prophets including (but not limited to) Abraham, Noah, David and Jesus (including the immaculate conception and the virgin birth), the previous revealed texts such as the Torah and the Bible (among others), and on and on remain fully intact on October 31.

The difference on 10/31 from most other days in the year is that my kids will be dressed up in costumes (and sometimes I will too) and we'll "trick or treat" our way around our neighborhood with other kids and other parents.  Another difference is that on this one holiday we'll get out and actually interact with our neighbors, talk to them as we walk up and down the streets, find out about how work and school are going, talk about what's happening in the community and connect a little.

10/31, Candy, Treats, Fun but no costumes... ???
That makes it Halal-o-ween?

Halloween is a fun, secular American holiday.  It is not the same as Christmas, Lent and Easter. American Muslims can participate in Halloween without giving up (or even compromising) any of their religious values.  Of course it is a personal decision and if some feel otherwise, then it is their right to abstain.

Those who choose to participate in Halloween are no less Muslim than those who choose to abstain from it.  Similarly, American Muslims who choose to abstain from Halloween are no less American for their choice either.

J-Che!  Via La Halloween!

 

 

 

 

Halloween is Haram! No, Halloween is Halal! Halloween and American Muslims

 

Right about now there is a raging debating over whether or not Muslims can participate in the American holiday called Halloween.  It’s a major issue and Muslims in America are divided.

Okay, the debate isn’t exactly the main focus of the 6 million strong American Muslim community but it is accurate to say that its raging among those who feel very passionately about the subject.  I’m not one of them but some of those who are amuse me and so I’ll use my little corner of the blogosphere to talk about it.

This is a teachable moment.  No, I’m not talking about the underlying theology that buttresses the various arguments for and against participation in Halloween.  

I believe Halloween provides us with is an opportunity to see the diversity of outlooks within the Muslim community and to view in real time the different ways in which Muslims from different backgrounds approach the subject.  This is another chance to chip away at the absurd notions of monolithic Islam and of Islam being an amalgam of rigid and irrelevant religious edicts.

There is nothing in the Quran, Hadith and Sunnah that explicitly says “Halloween is forbidden”, and to be fair, there is also nothing that says “A Muslim must partake of Halloween”.  It comes down to teasing out a set of values and principles from the guidance that is found in the Quran, Hadith and Sunnah and applying it to this particular holiday.

I’ve read and listened to the arguments against Halloween.  I don’t disagree with the basic values and principles that are often marshaled in support of the “Halloween is impermissible” view (but I can’t say that I’ve heard them all so don’t take this as my endorsement of some kooky or whacked out view issued from some remote cave in Tora Bora or elsewhere).  It’s the application of these rules and principles, however, that I find unpersuasive. 

The origins of Halloween are not relevant to the holiday that we partake of in 2010 (or even earlier in 1975 when I first started).  Halloween is a non-religious American cultural event.  Halloween has zero religious significance in the United States.

Also, by participating in Halloween I’m not copying non-believers.  I am an American and this is an American custom.  This is a part of my culture.  It’s not the most sophisticated part of it but it’s a part nonetheless!

As Muslim parents my wife and I diligently work to teach our children about the core beliefs in Islam and we work to reinforce what we teach through our actions.  We’ve looked at Halloween and there is simply nothing in Halloween activities that contradicts our Islamic beliefs.

Recently I posted a comment about Halloween on my Facebook wall and a Muslim friend asked me to cite the Quran, Hadith and Sunnah that support my belief that I can participate in Halloween without being in conflict with my faith.  I told her that I cannot help her.

I cannot cite to revelation or other religious sources to confirm the permissibility of participating in Halloween.  I also cannot cite to the permissibility of writing a blog, drinking soy milk or running on treadmill either.  And yet no one has asked me about the religious authority upon which I base my partaking of these things.

Frankly, I haven’t come across any writings or speeches that explain why Halloween is allowed.  But I don’t consider this a reason not to partake of this fall festival.  

I don’t look for religious license before I do most things.  Rather, I try to make my actions and my lifestyle stay within the parameters of acceptable behavior as delineated by a small list of absolute don’ts and an even smaller list of do’s in Islam.

But hey, this is a free country and if some of my Muslim friends (and I’m certain there are some Christian friends who think similarly) don’t think Halloween is compatible with their faith, then I have no problem with their abstinence from Halloween.  I do wish they’d reconsider though.

I do wish some American Muslims would reconsider their participation in Halloween because this is an communal event that helps bring neighborhoods together.  Halloween is a chance for us to walk around the neighborhood and talk to the other families while our children scramble from door to door loading up on goodies.  And since, unlike Christmas, Hanukah or Easter, this is not  religious holiday, it is a great opportunity to bond with those who live within our community. 

It is absolutely critical for American Muslims to be strong in practicing our faith.  But isn’t it important for us to enjoy our American culture and tradition as well?  I definitely think so!